'Assange asylum rejection proves EU governments lap dogs of the US'

The French government is under the command of Washington, Alain Corvez, former adviser to French Interior Ministry, told RT following news that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had been rapidly denied asylum by the Elysee Palace.

Julian Assange, the whistleblowing activist who has been living
in the Ecuador Embassy in London for over three years, had
written an open letter to France's President Hollande, implying
he would like to get political asylum in France. However, Paris
quickly rejected the request.

RT spoke with Alain Corvez for his opinion on the decision and
what it means for US-French relations.

RT: Julian Assange wrote a letter requesting
asylum, which was published in Le Monde, but France’s rejection
came very swiftly. Is there a reason for that?

Alain Corvez: I think that [the decision] was
prepared before, that’s why the answer came so quickly following
the letter of Julian Assange. And this is a shame for France. It
shows that our authorities are completely under the command of
the American president and his administration. This comes just
after knowing that the NSA [National Security Agency] spied on
our presidents; this is unacceptable such a reaction. And I think
among French opinion, most people are thinking like me.

RT: Would their response have been different had
Assange chosen a different method of appealing to France?

AC: No, I think the answer would not have been
different because it’s the will of the French government to
refuse asylum to Julian Assange. I’m sure you know that our
Minister of Justice some time ago was asked by journalists about
this request by Assange. They asked her [Christiane Taubira] if
Assange asked for asylum, what would you do? She said it was
perfectly possible that we would answer positively to the request
if this request was forthcoming. On a legal point, it was quite
possible to accept this [request for] asylum. But I think the
government was aware that this request could come and that’s why
the answer was so quick – I think one hour after receiving the
letter from Julian Assange.

RT: Do you think the revelations of NSA spying
have damaged US-French relations?

AC: I think the NSA revelations had a big impact
on French public opinion, but all the governments of the European
Union – not the people, but the governments – are under the
command of the United States. We understood the reaction of the
French government would try its best to diminish the importance
of these spying revelations. All the press in France was ordered
not to emphasize the information that the Americans were spying
on our three previous presidents. I think there is more and more
a big gap between French opinion and the French government. But
it’s the same in other European countries. I can tell you that…
all the information that comes from different European countries
is the same.
Look what is happening in Greece. The public opinion is
manipulated by the media, by the press, because the press is in
the hands of international finance. Everything is made to avoid a
quarrel, a fight, between the American government and the French
government. It’s a shame for France to react as it did when we
learned about this spying.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.